Associate Professor, Graduate School of Technology, Industrial and Social Sciences, Tokushima University *Profile is at the time of the award.
2023Inamori Research GrantsScience & Engineering
I am honored that my research project has been adopted for the Inamori Research Grants. The development of non-petroleum resources is important in the promotion of the SDGs, and I would like to contribute to it through my project.
The combination of Fusarium spp. filamentous fungi and extracellular lipase-producing bacteria enabled fermentation production of hydroxylated fatty acids using vegetable oils as substrates. The fact that all 114 Fusarium species produced hydroxylated fatty acids indicated that Fusarium species universally possess a mechanism of extracellular free fatty acid metabolism. However, the performance of this mechanism depends on the individuality of the strain, because the 114 strains differed in their efficiency of fatty acid metabolism and hydroxylated fatty acid production. The medium that continued to be cultured after hydroxylated fatty acid production became murky and gave off a lactone-type aroma. This suggested that hydroxylated fatty acids are precursors of lactones.
Science & Engineering
